(Photo by Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Getty Images)
A national group that backed Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s re-election campaign in 2022 must comply with a subpoena issued as part of a yearslong investigation, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday.
In a 13-page decision, the court rejected a series of arguments offered by attorneys representing the Republican Governors Association, and it ordered the organization to comply with the subpoena.
The decision was authored by Justice Dario Borghesan, a Dunleavy appointee.
Attorneys representing the RGA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Since 2022, the Alaska Public Offices Commission has been seeking documents from the RGA — a national group that backs Republican candidates for governor — to determine whether or not the group illegally colluded with Dunleavy’s 2022 campaign.
The RGA is considered an “independent expenditure” group and thus is barred by law from coordinating with a political candidate’s campaign. In 2022, two progressive groups filed complaints against the RGA.
The state watchdog agency APOC, which regulates political campaign spending, began an investigation, but the RGA refused to comply with a subpoena seeking banking information and relevant communications.
Anchorage-based attorney Scott Kendall, who represents the political groups that filed complaints against the RGA three years ago, said that if RGA now complies with the subpoenas, APOC can actually judge the original complaints on their merits.
That could have implications for next year’s governor election, Kendall said on Friday.
“Are they going to participate (in the 2026 election)? If they’re going to participate, are they going to disclose their donors if they participate?” he asked. “What will the public think of them if, in fact, APOC does find that they broke the law? I have to believe the RGA has the intention of trying to participate in this upcoming election, and whether they broke the law last time, and whether they intend to follow the law this time, I think, are very, very relevant issues.”
